Passenger railway-car.



J. H. E. BRA-NSON: PASSENGER RAILWAY GAR. APPLICATION FILED APB.. 21, 1909.

938,037. Patented oonz, 1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l l lv'lrnsssss.- wenn J. H. E. BRANSON. PASSENGER RAILWAY CAR. APPLICATION FILED APR. 21, 1909.

Patented oet. 26,1909.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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L H. E. BRANSON. PASSENGER RAILWAY GAB..

APPLICATION FILED APB.. 2i, 1909.

'Patented 0611.26, 1909,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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JAMES H. E. BRANSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PSSENGER RAILVAY-Cfilil.

Specification of Lettersiatent. y Patented ctl, 26, 1909.

Application filed April 21, 1909. Serial No. 491,264.

V provementsin Passenger Railway-Cars, of

which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to means to facilitate safe entrance as well as exit to and from closable platform passenger cars, of

the type which have become known, as paywithin-cars.

The principal objects of my invention are first, to provide the platform of a l'iassenger railway car lwith twin doors opening outward, in unison, in different directions and closing inward, -in unison, toward each other; second, to provide a passenger car on each side with -twin doors opening outward in diderent directions and having on one side rails to be grasped by passengers on entering the car to safely mountl a platform;

third, to provide a passenger cai' with twin doors on each side opening outward, in unison, in two different directions and in opening, presenting hand 'gripplng safety rails to entering or depart-ing passengers; fourth, p to provide a car with twin doors opening outward and closingA inward toward each other and simultaneously lowering` and rais ing a step and bot-h operated by mechanism, controlled by a hand-lever from a motormans station on the platform or a condnctors station at a point established between aplatforni and the main body of the car, which thereby provides entrance and exit ways to `and from the said main car body with the platform of the car; fifth, to provide a passenger car having` such defined operating doors provided with a. hand-lever for operating a rod controlling mechanism connected with twin doors and a step adapted to be readily Controlled from a motorinans station or a conductors station to permit in the one instance and prevent in the other, the use of one set of doors on either side of the platform, as requirements may demand; and sixth, to provide a passenger car with twin doors swinging outward in differentdirections, and at the same time a step beneath, and both operating in unison by means controlled by a inotorinan or by a conductor from either of their" respective stations, by means of a hand levei' controlling the twin door and .step operating mechanism located underneath the ca r and in such manner that but one or bothv sets of twin doors and a step or steps are operative at a time, and when operating only one set to provide one side of the platform for safe-guarding passengers on the platform in the event of leaning against closed ydoors thereof.

My invention stated in general terms, consists of a passenger railway -car provided with twin vplatform doors arranged to be swung outward in unison, and simultaneously a step beneath to be brought into such 'relation with respect to the platform, as to permit of entrance or discharge of passen gers to or from the platform and boththe dooi'sand step controlled by mechanism connected therewith, and arranged to operate in unison by manipulation' of a hand-lever, either by a motorman on the platform or by a conductor at a point establishing en' trance and enit ways toand from a forni 4with the ina-in carfbody. i v.

My 'invention further consists of 'other features in such character of passenger railway car to be hereinafter fully described and piat- The nature, characteristic features land scope of my present invention will be more fully understood `from the following -description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which-` Figure l, is a longitudinal sectional lan,

)artl in elevation of a asseno'er rai wa car, embodying main features of my -said invention, showing the mechanical means for operating the twin doors and step by meansoperated by either a motorman from the platform or by a conductor between the platform and main car-body at a station established therein. Fig. 2, is a side elevational view of a passenger car, in broken section, showing the twin doors on one side of the platform closed and the step elevated,

andl also showing how in dotted lines the two doors connected -with one another perniit of a unison action and a step beneath, therewith; and further showing in dotted outline the passenger hand gripping rails, on the inner side of the respective doors. Fig. 3, is an enlarged, sectional plan view of the door and step operatingmechanism of the car and in dotted outline the operating h andlevers of said, mechanism Aat respec' tively the motormans station and at the conductors station. Fig. ,4, 1s a 'view in broken section, of the operating lever-rods of the door and step actuating-mechanism and of the retractmg springs thereof. Figs. 5 and 6, arev views partly in section and partly in velevation of'a step and the operatingleverarm of the same shown in broken section, the step in said views beingillustrated in open and foldedfconditins. F igs. 7 and 8, are respectively, side `and .central views through the standard with vthe hand grip head of the same and through which standard the dbor-and-step actuating-mechanism operatingrods extend, controlled, by hinged handles from the said head for opening and closing either doors and step of al platform; and Fig. 9, is a top. or plan view of the head of the standard of Figs. 7 and 8,'

- showing'the hinged handles in operative and inoperative positions.-

Referring t0 the drawings 10, is va passen-,f

ger railway car ofthe type well known as pay-within-car having 'a lwide platform a, which merges into the main car-body Z5, 'having seats arranged longitudinally there.- of, along the sides, as shown in Fig. 1.- In this type of car is provided a wide space where the platform a, mergesinto the main car-body b, to provide a conductors station c, arranged substantiallyniidway of the'said space and providing `an entrance-way al,

and an exitway a, on both sides ofthesaid station c, as'clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. i

The platform onboth ,sides are provided' with twin hinged or lpivot'al doors 1i, 11, c losingtoward v'each-other' and arranged so as to open outward, in unison, in opposite direction. y The doors are preferably clipped to vertical rods 12, 12a, extending through the platform a, and into sockets 12b, in' the ceiling of the car framework. On the in- `side of the twin doors 11, 11,are provided hand grippin rails (l, (Z1, projecting preferably diagon llyv therefrom, for passengers to grasp, ine/ntering ory departing from a `the step engages in an open p'ositionf'as shown in`F ig. 5, and which also serves to .strengthen the step, while in an open position, in taking on` or letting off passengers from a platform a, of the car 10.

15, is n pentrally arranged metal strap or support extending from the underside of'each sectional l step 13, and which by preferably knuckle i jointed links'l, is connected toa cross- 162, 1Gb,- rigidly lconnected respectively with t-he vertical door operating rods l2, 12a, and' pivotally with 4the cross-fraine 16, asclearly shown in Fig. 3.' -The same mechanism, as

described, is arranged on both sides with respect to the step and platfor car doors and .frame 16, consisting of end pivoted. links both are arranged so as,to e. operatediin ,75

unison.

17, is an oblong hollow casing for con- .taining operating .parts or devices ,of the door and step actuating mechanism, which casing is Ina-de dish-shaped so as "tcl contain a lubricating body, inwhich the said parts or devices are immersed to insure ease of movements thereof and to reduce as well' friction' on the several parts or devices 1n operation.

From the cross-framesv 16, on both sides of the' said casing 17, containing the said partsv or. devices, secured tothe underside of the platform framework, as showirin Figs. 1

and 3, project rods 18, 18;", extending through adjustable stufling boxes lor bear-I ings 19, 19a, Fig. 3. Each pair of rods 18, 18a, is provided with acamsurfaee `cross bar 20, rigidly secured thereto and adapted.

to pass between guides 21, 21a, so as to direct thesame by reason of their length, in their back and forth movements in the easing 17, in proper alining action for thereby insur ing greater ease of movement of the said parts or devices, affected thereby. From the guides-21,'projects an arm 22, carrying on both sidesthereof buffers e and el, and in the w-all'of the casing 17, is alsd provided adjustable buffers f and f1.

23, 23?, are pivoted lleverarms .connectedl with brackets g, g1, rigidly secured to the respective ,end walls of thecasing 1 7, and' carrying at the free end ofthe sai'd'lever.

arms rollers g2, g3, i for respectively riding the outer edge of both of thejcam-surface.

cross-bars 20, of the respective rods 18, 18',

for operating the doors and step on each side by thecross-frame 16, with thev pivoted link members 15a, 16a and 16", thereof. The

ated device 25, having atthe free ends therelever-arms 23, 23a, by, means of pivotal links r24, 24a, are connected with a bell crank`oper-- of rollers 25225", adapted toride the inner edges of both of the cam-surface crossbars 20.'

26, 26g, are longitudinal operating rods.

pivotally connecte byjmeans of links 26h,

v26?, with vertical rods 27, 27a, located either at the motornians station a5, or eonduetors station c, within standards 28, 28, and o perated preferably `by ,hinged hand' levers 2S), The standards at both lstations are provided with grip heads 30, of the type as clearly shown in Figs. 7 and 8.

The respective longitudinal .operating rods 26, 26, are connected by links 26d., 26e,

with the square shafts 3l, of the bell crank device 25, for shifting the same as required, when the hinged operating lever '29 or 29a, is. operated, either at the inotormans station a5, or a. conductors station c, of the car l0, as will be fully understood from Fig. 3, to open one pair of doors l1 1l, and to lower a step 13, beneath, by reason of being actuated in unison, by ,the hereinbefore described mechanisms thereof. The bumpers f, in the folded position of the step on one side of the platform L of the car l0, and with the pair of doors ll, 11, closed to, as illustrated in Fig. 2, will -be brought into contact with the piivoted leverarm 23, and with the lowei arm of the bell crank device 25, in contact with the buifer el, and the opposite endof the. bell crank device 25, in riding` contact about midway in the length of the inner cani-surface edge of the cross-bar 20, and

at the same time, with the lever arm 23a, in'

riding contactwith the outer cam-surface edge of thevopposite cross-bar 20, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, and further with the opposite side platform a, of the car of the pair of 'doors ll, 11, wide open, and likewise the step l8, beneath, as fully shown in said Fig. 3, of the drawings.

The links 26h, 26C, respectively, are provided with retracting coiled springs 32, v32e, Fig.l 4, from a post 33, forassisting in returning parts of' the doorsand a step actuating mechanism, to initial positions, that is, the position of the respective vparts of said mechanism as fully illustrated in Fig. 3.

-lt will be obvious that instead of operating the doors and steps in unison, by the connected operating mechanism, as described, at either a motormans station a5, or a conductor`s station c, by manipulating a hand vlever 29 or 29, adapted to detachably engage the vertical operating rods 27, '273, of the twin standards 28, 28a, such may be actuated by well known air'pressure cylinders of the-types now used on cars.

The hereinbefore described invention, is not confined to manner of operating the twin doors and a step on a side of the platform a,

in unison, in precisely the manner described, nor is the present invention confined to the particular arrangement of the actuating Amechanism-for such doors and step, as herein'before explained but Having thus described my said invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1..A passenger car `provided with a platform merging into the main car-body and. providing there-at a wide entrance-way, said platform provided with double folding doors opening outward in ditfeient directions, a

foldable step lbcated beneath said ,platform i on ea fh side and mechanism for operating both, in unison, by the manipulating of a hand-lever either from the plat-form or the entrance and exit ways located between said platform and main car-body, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In a passenger car,a platform provided with twin side doors adapted to fold inward toward each other and outward in opposit directions from each other in unison, a step v located beneath the platform and mechanism for operating both twin doors and step simultaneously and said doors on the inner side provided with hand grips, substantially `as and t'or the purposes described.l

3. In a passenger car, a platform' provided with infolding doors adapted to open in opposite directions in unison and having on one side hand grips, a step and means controlled by a manualldevice from within the car, for

vcontrolling the inovementsofthe said doors said platform adapted to open in opposite direct-ions in unison, and to close together, foldable steps located beneath said doors,

means to actuate said doors and steps, said means arranged to permit of the actuation of one set of said doors and a step, and to lock the other set of doors and step, fromA within the car, substantially` as and for the purposes described.

G. In a passenger car, a platform provided with iii-folding twin side doors on both sides- .of said platform adapted to open and close in unison, a step beneath said' doors, means for. actuating both, simultaneously, said means provided with a manual device for manipulating said means and arranged to readily operate one set of doors and step and the other set of doors and step so arranged as to be operated by either a inot'ornian or conductor, .substantially as described.

' 7 In passenger car having a platform provided with infolding twin doors, on each side, a folding step beneath said doors, mechanism connected with both of said twin doors and step to permit of *the operating of both sets of side twin doors and step in unison either from a niotormans station or a conductors station or conjointly from both stations within the car, substantially as and for the purposes described.

S. In a` passenger car-havin`gYA a platform provided with twin doors opening'in opposite directions, a step opening outward, mech anism connected with said twin doors and step for simultaneously actuating both doors a foldable step located beneath said doors, and step, said niechanisi having operating and means for actuating said doors and step i devices adapted to be brought in operativeV and said means controlled by devices 'withiul position by either a mctornian .or a conthe car, substantially as and fol-,the purposes 5"ductor to e'fecta unison of action ofboth described. y

twin doors and a step from either side of In'witness whereolhave hereunto set my said platform at the same time, substantially i signature in the presence of two subscribing /as and for the purposes described. witnesses. I

9. A passenger car, having a niain carA l JAMES H. E. BRAANSON. 10 body provided with an end platform having Witnesses:

i i. u infolding twin side doors adapted to open l J. WALTER DoUeLAss, outward in opposite directions 1n unlson, i THOMAS MfSMITH. l 

